From Cold Palace Princess to Celestial Empress Ch. 129
“How… how is this possible!”
The First Prince stared in disbelief at the scene before him, his eyes filled with shock.
One move—just one move—and his proud Primordial Flame had been utterly annihilated!!
This was an extremely cruel blow to him.
He had endured countless hardships, suffered unimaginable pain, and paid a tremendous price to finally merge with the Black Dragon Flame.
Yet, he never expected to be utterly defeated in his very first battle!
“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!”
“I can’t lose! I must win!!!”
The First Prince roared hysterically, his voice shaking the heavens.
“Ahhh!!!”
The First Prince’s eyes were bloodshot as he let out a frenzied roar. Infinite black flames erupted around him, like burning stars. His hands swiftly formed seals, and a series of black runes appeared before his chest.
The runes shimmered with light in front of his palms, exuding a scorching aura.
Streaks of pitch-black flames burst forth from the runes, enveloping his entire body and madly surging into him.
At the same time.
The First Prince’s aura skyrocketed, and in just an instant, he broke through to the third level of the Divine Sea Realm!
A pillar of black flame shot into the sky, condensing into a colossal hand that blotted out the heavens. It slammed down fiercely onto the sword light.
Boom!!!
The sword light shattered, transforming into countless streams of light that dissipated into the air.
After dispersing the sword light, the giant hand also vanished.
At this moment.
Within the ring’s space.
The Medicine King’s face was filled with shock.
“This fool has gone mad to such an extent, willing to burn the origin of his innate flames. Although it can greatly enhance his power, the innate flames are such a mystical existence that they are far beyond the control of a mere Spring Realm cultivator like him!”
“Burning the origin of the innate flames will reduce him to ashes in just a quarter of an hour!”
Previously, he had never imagined that this fool, who seemed cowardly and relied solely on luck, like a clown unworthy of the stage, would dare to go this far!
From a distance, Xiao Minghuang’s face also showed a trace of solemnity as she watched the First Prince’s aura surge wildly.
By burning his innate flames, the First Prince was essentially committing suicide.
Yet, it allowed him to unleash an incredibly formidable power in a short time. Resorting to such a self-destructive method was enough to prove the depth of his hatred and madness.
This indicated that the First Prince had reached a dead end; otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone all out to burn his innate flames.
But.
Even so, he did not seek the Medicine King’s power.
“It seems I underestimated you…”
Xiao Minghuang murmured softly, her expression growing increasingly grave.
At the same time.
The First Prince’s body was engulfed in black flames, resembling a dark sun that instilled fear and dread in all who saw it.
The black flames churned, forming a massive black mist that covered half the sky. The First Prince moved swiftly, with an unstoppable momentum, charging toward Xiao Minghuang.
At this moment, the First Prince’s power had surged, fully reaching the second level of the Divine Sea Realm.
Faced with such a formidable threat, even Xiao Minghuang dared not underestimate him. The golden crown of fortune above her head solidified, and the Mountain and River Suppression Seal flew out, hovering in the sky, illuminating the boundless earth. A vast, oppressive aura spread, suppressing all directions.
Seeing this, the First Prince couldn’t help but frown slightly, but soon a look of arrogance appeared on his face.
The black flames burning on his body grew even more intense, and his aura soared several times over, as if a black dragon had come to life, ready to destroy everything in the world.
“Black Flames… Annihilation!”
The First Prince bellowed, his aura surging once again, truly reaching the third level of the Divine Sea Realm!
Seeing this, Xiao Minghuang dared not be the slightest bit careless. She could sense that, without utilizing the power of the nation’s fortune, this was likely the strongest enemy she could handle.
Xiao Minghuang’s voice was ethereal, yet it was like a stabilizing force, instantly calming the atmosphere between heaven and earth.
Hum!
The golden seal instantly expanded countless times, covering the heavens, and the world seemed to plunge into darkness, leaving only that dazzling, radiant golden light. Even the stars in the sky paled in comparison to its brilliance.
“Ancient stars… I beseech you, lend me your power!”
In an instant.
From the depths of the distant cosmos, two beams of brilliant starlight traversed the ancient void, descending upon the mortal world, connecting the beloved child of the stars on earth with the vast, ancient expanse of the heavens.
“Stars in broad daylight!”
Xiao Minghuang softly chanted, and the Mountain and River Suppressing Seal in the void responded. The radiance of the stars merged with the surging tide of destiny, manifesting a brilliant star in the sky.
This star moved slowly through the void, yet its presence was enough to overshadow the heavens and earth, enveloping the First Prince in its starlight.
BOOM!!!!!
A deafening roar.
The earth trembled, the shockwaves spreading across the boundless expanse.
The First Prince was engulfed by the star, and the innate flames burning on his body gradually extinguished under the overwhelming force, eventually dissipating into specks of starlight, vanishing into the void.
Even the arrogant and domineering First Prince, when faced with death, could no longer utter a single sound.
Strands of starlight scattered around.
On the ground, a terrifying crater spanning thousands of feet appeared before everyone’s eyes, bottomless, like an abyss!
The starlight shone down.
At the bottom of the crater lay a charred figure, its chest caved in, its body shriveled like a piece of charcoal, motionless.
Witnessing this scene, everyone couldn’t help but gasp.
The First Prince… was he truly dead?
Some of the Divine Sea realm cultivators who had come to watch the battle wore expressions of disbelief.
“The First Prince had stepped into the Four Forbidden Realms in his desperate moment, and yet he died just like that?”
Although they all knew that the Princess was invincible within the Great Xia Kingdom, during the previous battle, she had not truly utilized the power of the nation’s destiny, only using it to assist herself.
Thus, the power she had unleashed was less than a tenth of her full potential.
In other words, the Princess had essentially relied solely on her own strength to slay a Divine Sea Triple Realm prodigy who had entered the Four Forbidden Realms!
“Whoosh—!”
Almost everyone present gasped in astonishment!
They couldn’t help but turn their gazes skyward, looking up at the faint golden figure in the distance, as if they were gazing upon a great deity.
“To be able to serve the Princess in this lifetime is truly our greatest honor!”
“This is the Princess, a peerless genius, someone we can only look up to in awe!”
Their eyes were filled with admiration, and some even couldn’t hold back their tears of excitement.
In the sky, Xiao Minghuang listened to the murmurs of the crowd but remained unmoved.
This battle, though it seemed she had won with ease, had actually taken a great toll on her.
She had exhausted all the techniques at her disposal, including the embryonic sword intent, earth-grade treasures, earth-grade martial arts, and perfected divine abilities.
If she hadn’t been able to kill the First Prince, she would have had to resort to the power of the nation’s destiny.
“My strength is still too weak!”
Xiao Minghuang sighed softly, then swallowed a pill to recover her energy as she descended to the ground.
At that moment, Lin Wanqiu and Ye Ruoshui also arrived.
As soon as Xiao Minghuang landed, she hurriedly ran forward.
The city lords and offerings of the Divine Sea Realm from Great Xia also showed concern.
“Your Highness, are you injured?” Ye Ruoshui asked with concern, almost leaning over to inspect her closely.
Xiao Minghuang quickly grabbed Ye Ruoshui’s hand and smiled wryly, “Ruoshui, don’t worry too much. I’m fine.”
Then, she turned to the crowd and spoke softly, “Everyone, I am unharmed. Please disperse.”
Hearing this, the crowd could not say much more and each bowed before taking their leave.
After everyone had left, Lin Wanqiu and Ye Ruoshui both came to Xiao Minghuang’s side, each holding one of her arms, inquiring, “Your Highness, how are you? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Xiao Minghuang laughed, “I really am not injured. Although the First Prince has some strength, he is still far behind me!”
Ye Ruoshui exclaimed excitedly, “I knew it, Your Highness is the strongest!”
Lin Wanqiu reminded, “Your Highness, don’t be too complacent or get carried away. Remember, there is always a higher mountain. Although the First Prince is formidable, there are people in the world stronger than him. It’s better to be cautious.”
Xiao Minghuang smiled slightly, leaned over, and gently kissed Lin Wanqiu on the corner of her mouth, then whispered in her ear, “Of course, I know that. Wanqiu’s peaks are much higher than mine!”
In an instant, Lin Wanqiu’s cheeks flushed with a deep blush, and she lowered her head deeply.
Seeing this, Ye Ruoshui also came over, hugged Xiao Minghuang’s shoulder, and cooed, “Your Highness, I want a kiss too!”
“Little girl, you don’t know how to be shy at all!” Xiao Minghuang teased, then cupped Ye Ruoshui’s slightly pink face and gently kissed the corner of her mouth.
Ye Ruoshui’s face turned even redder.
Lin Wanqiu watched in astonishment.
She suddenly realized that this little girl, Ye Ruoshui, had become bolder than her.
Or perhaps, while she was away, Her Highness and Ruoshui had secretly done something even more intimate?
At this moment, Xiao Minghuang noticed Lin Wanqiu’s unusual behavior, turned to look at her, and a gentle smile appeared in her eyes.
“Wanqiu, come here.”
“Yes.”
Lin Wanqiu didn’t think much and responded, quickly walking over.
Xiao Minghuang reached out, embraced her, and gently stroked her hair, saying softly, “Wanqiu, you and Ruoshui are both my wives, my most beloved people. In my heart, you are both unique, like the stars in the sky, each shining brightly, and there is no second one exactly the same!”
Hearing this, both Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu were stunned, and then a strong sweetness welled up in their hearts.
They… were born stars… unique.
While they were still in a daze, Xiao Minghuang kissed each of their foreheads and said softly, “I still have some matters to attend to. You can wait here for me or go back first.”
With that, Xiao Minghuang turned and jumped into the giant pit.
“Ah! Your Highness, wait for me!”
Ye Ruoshui suddenly woke up, saw that Your Highness had jumped into the pit, and wanted to chase after her.
Lin Wanqiu quickly grabbed her, “Don’t chase. Don’t you remember what Your Highness just said? She told us to wait here for her.”
Hearing this, Ye Ruoshui’s little eyebrows furrowed.
“Ah! Alright then.”
…
At the bottom of the sinkhole.
The base of the pitch-black pit was filled with a strong, acrid smell of burning. The sight of charred black rocks met the eyes, and even a slight breeze from walking caused them to crumble.
Xiao Minghuang activated her protective spiritual energy and without any hesitation, headed straight for the corpse of the First Prince.
Soon, she arrived at the deepest part of the underground, a flat open space where a charred body lay quietly.
The First Prince’s body had long been desiccated, completely turned into charcoal, barely recognizable as human.
Facing the First Prince’s body, Xiao Minghuang did not approach but stopped a hundred zhang away, her expression extremely grave. A faint light flickered in her palm, ready to unleash any means necessary to confront a potential formidable enemy.
Yet, to an outsider, she appeared utterly calm, as if unperturbed by any disturbance.
“Since you are here, why not show yourself?”
Xiao Minghuang suddenly spoke, her voice clear and resonating throughout the space, echoing in the depths of the underground.
As her words fell.
There was still no response from the surroundings.
But in the next moment.
A phantom figure materialized out of thin air above the First Prince’s corpse, appearing before Xiao Minghuang.
Seeing this, Xiao Minghuang’s expression grew even more serious.
Ever since she saw the title ‘Medicine King’ on the system panel, she had been investigating extensively. Finally, from ancient texts and the words of the Old Ancestor, she learned some information about this person.
Combining various pieces of information, she roughly deduced the origins of the Medicine King.
The Medicine King, hailing from the Dan Ding Pavilion of the Eastern Pole Holy Academy, was a triple-forbidden prodigy in his youth, especially skilled in the art of alchemy. At the age of ninety-nine, the limit of his years, he broke through to the Life and Death Realm and earned the title of the Eastern Pole’s top alchemist, revered as the Medicine King!
Recalling the various details about the Medicine King, Xiao Minghuang took a deep breath.
The Medicine King before her was not the once-dominant king of alchemists, but a true spirit at the end of its tether.
After a cultivator breaks through the Life and Death Barrier, a true spirit is born within them.
As long as the true spirit remains unextinguished, it does not enter the cycle of reincarnation. With some spiritual materials, one can reshape the body and return to peak condition.
Yet, even so, the true spirit of a king, worn down by the long passage of time, retains less than a tenth of its former power, unable to unleash its once formidable strength.
Previously, the Medicine King could use the First Prince’s body to perform divine abilities, but now, without a vessel, his true spirit has lost almost all its powers, like a fish out of water, at the mercy of others!
“The Princess is naturally intelligent and extraordinarily perceptive. With my meager skills, how could I possibly deceive you?”
The Medicine King said with a bitter laugh, his tone tinged with a faint sorrow.
“You, sir, must be the Eastern Pole’s top alchemist from three thousand years ago, the Medicine King, correct?”
Xiao Minghuang did not show any emotion, speaking in a calm and composed manner.
Hearing this, the Medicine King did not show much surprise, as if he had already anticipated that Xiao Minghuang would guess his identity. He nodded calmly and sighed lightly:
“I originally thought Xiao Yan was a promising talent, but who would have thought… Alas! The unpredictability of life, the whims of fate!”
Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu
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